New York Mets Player Evaluations: Catcher Wilson Ramos

The New York Mets felt confident in their offense from Wilson Ramos, but underachievement marked his 2020 season. He never found his way on offense or defense and became a focal point of the Mets’ struggles in their poor season.

Ramos only hit .239/.297/.387, which were the worst offensive numbers he put up since the 2015 season. The staple of Ramos game was his clutch hitting with runners in scoring position, but he struggled mightily in those situations. He embodied the Mets struggles, only hitting .139 during 36 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The biggest issue with his swing comes with his emphasis on hitting the ball on the ground. It is a guarantee Ramos gets thrown out if any of the infielders can get to the ball, which resulted in him grounding to five double plays this season. Five might not seem like too much, but every single one came in a huge spot.

A huge point to fix his swing should come with an increase in his launch angle. He only hit .153 on groundballs and .211 against groundball pitchers. Ramos will benefit more from hitting the ball in the air, and his strength to all fields should allow him to increase his average, home runs, and lower the number of double plays he hits into.

Struggling Defense

With his offensive struggles, Ramos’s defensive shortcomings were heightened. He only threw out 18% of baserunners, allowed four passed balls, and 16 wild pitches. While his defense improved from last season, it still ranked in the bottom half of baseball. Ramos had an issue blocking pitches on his right side because his new position had his right knee down, which forced him to stab at those pitches.

He also failed to tag out Roman Quinn during a walk-off loss against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he had more than enough time to get the glove down and beat Quinn to the plate. Heading into his age-33 season, it is hard to expect him to improve in his defense any more.

What Did He Do Well?

Ramos did not play in many day games but found success in those rare occasions. He slashed .302/.348 /.535 in 14 day games compared to .212/.275/.323 in 31 games during the night. Ramos also finished the season on a 6-for-15 streak with one home run to boost his worth heading into likely free agency.

[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”jf2hrp7xel” question=”Should the Mets bring back Wilson Ramos?” opened=”1″]He has a club option for the 2021 season, but the combination of J.T. Realmuto on the market and Steve Cohen’s wallet makes a reunion very unlikely. Ramos had good moments during his 2019 season with the Mets, but 2020 was the opposite. To his credit, Ramos continued to be a professional throughout the struggles, and expect to see him bounce back in a new environment during 2021. [/wpdiscuz-feedback]

2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)

Hitting: 40 (55), Came on late, too good of a hitter to stay at his 2020 production.

Power: 40 (45), All depends on if he makes any adjustments to his swing. Still has power to all fields.

Run: 20 (20), If zero were an option, I would use that.

Arm: 50 (45), His arm was the biggest reason he could throw anyone out. The Mets pitchers gave him little help.

Field: 35 (30), Pitch framing and blocking are well below average.

Overall: 35 (45), Ramos is still a very useful hitter and a bounce-back season is likely. Just needs to find a better situation with a different team.